Lenin and the Bolsheviks Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Lenin and the Bolsheviks - Assignment Example After his arrival, Lenin advocated for the government overthrow through his speeches. The Bolshevik newspaper referred to Lenin’s speeches as the April theses. After his return, he yearned to replace the Bolshevik rule in Russia. Other socialists in the city were after his immediacy in controlling the Bolshevik rule. Lenin was termed a quack that could not make his radical move. He later pulled his supporters to furnish his plans within the shortest time possible. His movement was regarded as ‘all power to the soviet’ and he hoped to agitate the masses to avoid the provisional government (William 19). His strategy focused on the coming up with a new revolution in Russia. Lenin decided to manipulate the Meshevic who were a group of the soviet. He had the plan to manipulate them to satisfy his own wish (William 38). Lenin tried all means to pull the Bolshevik out of power after his return to Russia. On 1 April, he took his first attempt after there was disagreement between the Petrograd and the provisional government. The two groups disagreed due to unstated means of pulling Russia out of the First World War. The attempted coup was in vain after the Bolshevik who was determined to throw the government failed in their mission. There were demonstrations in the streets and this caused a lot of chaos. The Bolshevik tried other attacks and to incite the masses and this was a strong hold to Lenin as he learned from the failures of the Bolshevik. Lenin learned that the slow nature by which the provisional government was acting on Russia’s withdrawal from the war was a major weakness. Lenin knew that the four years that the government had received the treat from the Bolshevik was a thorough way for his army to revolt and come back home. Lenin maintained that Russia vacates the war very fast and this was not on condition whether Russia could lose its boundary or not. Thereby, Lenin received a lot of support from the armed forces. This to Lenin w as a turning point towards seizing the federal government’s power. He therefore launched a campaign that was full of propaganda to the Russian troops who held high posts in the army. The Russian government had hoped that the return of Lenin could unite them than divide them. He thus came in at a point of confusion in Russia. Lenin was more concerned with defaming the provisional government and taking over power. This was his trick throughout his struggle for power (William 54-56). Good planning and the preparation by the Bolsheviks was a key factor for their success. The Bolshevik had a strong military foundation in the lower level. The troop was also promised peace from the German government. In addition, the group had a huge sum of money, which came from abroad, and partly from robbing of the local banks. The group referred to the mass as propaganda as the group’s name meant that it had the majority. This helped most of them to gather a lot of votes and fame from the locals who supported their mission to oust the government. This tainted the minds of the public as being the most popular group. Lenin and Trotsky, who were the troop leaders, were smarter than their competitors were. The Kerensky government received pressure from outer sources to leave power (William 88). The government had also lacked trust from many

How to Achieve Better Work-Life Balance Essay Example for Free

How to Achieve Better Work-Life Balance Essay For most of us these days, having to work is not an option, but a necessity. Struggling to maintain a job and a family can be demanding and stressful. While dealing with everyday chores at home, dinner, homework and other responsibilities, some people think that being at work is like having a break. On the other hand, for a single person, work may be the only social life they have. While using the workplace as an outlet to get away from it all or as a place to socialize, it is important to be aware of actions at work that might annoy your co-workers. Manners do matter, not only in your social life but your workplace. Manners can come into various forms, but professional etiquette in a workplace is vital, if you want to be respected or even make your job easier. For example, if your job involves you sending emails to other clients, associates or managers. You always want the email to content a greeting, and goodbye. I said respectable because there are different forms of greetings and goodbyes depending on the receiver. Manners mean behavior that is considered to be polite in a particular society and culture Manners are what you do in a specific way to be polite, courteous, etc. showing proper manners means making the person around you not feel bad. Example: You say ‘please’ and ‘thank you’ to show good manners. You are not ‘showing etiquette’ while doing this. As everybody already knows that it’s a professional etiquette to use these words at work! Professional manner etiquette consists of professional dress code the right dress with the right contrast of color combination of shoe and socks, exposing physical structure must be avoided. professional appearance, punctuality, use of professional language, positive attitude, non-verbal communication skills, maintaining hygiene. Manners impact of how others perceive you and your company. Your appearance and dress code, your way of welcoming people at first sight or later, your body language, your way of choosing words for your business conversation, your way of managing time effectively, your professional way of interacting with people and finally your mindset are the core components of your professional manner and etiquette. Each company must have a manual for professional manner and etiquette. New recruits should go through an induction program to understand these sensitive issues to deal with people at work. Even every year there should be a review of a company’s professional manner and etiquette to update its manual to keep pace with the changing trends of global fashion and life style. Conducting a job interview is the most widely used selection tool. It has proved most reliable and the employers rely on it in preference to any other tool. It is a process designed to predict future job performance by candidate\s oral responses to oral inquiries. For having a better comprehension of Job interviewing it is proper will to go through the definitions of the interview and job interview. An interview as defined is a conversation between two people where the interviewer put questions to the interviewees to get information from him. Job Interview on the other hand is generally defined as a conversation between an employer and a job candidate, where the employer evaluates a candidate for prospective employment in the organization. The two definitions show that an interview is a general term used for all kinds of interview, it gives out the broad outlines of the term interview. Job interview on the other hand is specific to a particular area namely employment. But, this is a common misconception that job interview is a unilateral process which, is not the case. The above definition of Job interview is very similar to definition of Job Interviewing, but not that of job interview as it does not give the full picture and is incomplete.

Artificial Neural Networks :: Essays Papers

Artificial Neural Networks Artificial neural networks are systems implemented on computer systems as specialized hardware or sophisticated software that loosely model the learning and remembering functions of the human brain. They are an attempt to simulate the multiple layers of processing elements in the brain, called neurons. These elements are implemented in such a way so that the layers can learn from prior experience and remember their outputs. In this way, the system can learn to recognize certain patterns and situations and apply these to certain priorities and output appropriate results. These types of neural networks can be used in many important situations such as priority in an emergency room, for financial assistance, and any type of pattern recognition such as handwritten or text-to-speech recognition. The most basic elements of a neural network, the artificial neurons, are modeled after the neurons of the brain. The "real" neuron is composed of four parts: the dendrites, soma, axon, and the synapse. The dendrites receive input from other neuron's synapses, the soma processes the information received, the axon carries the action potential which fires the neuron when a threshold is breached, and the synapse is where the neuron sends its output, which are in the form of neurotransmitters, to the dendrites of other neurons. Each neuron in the human brain can connect with up to 200,000 other neurons. The power and processing of the human brain comes from multitude of these basic components and the many thousands of connections between them. The artificial neurons simulate the four basic functions of the "real" neuron. The artificial neuron is much simpler than the neuron of the brain. It takes inputs just as the "real" neuron but also multiplies these inputs by a weight value. Then they are sent to a processing unit which does what it needs to do to the value and then sends this value to the output path. In the simplest case the products of these values are simply summed and then put through a transfer process and output. This is the basic building block of all artificial neural networks, although there are many different implementations of this simple block and fundamental differences which allow for different artificial networks to be built. The major concerns of the developer is the design of the neural network system.

Illustration Paragraph Essay

So, let’s suppose that you have done some brainstorming to develop your thesis. What else should you keep in mind as you begin to create paragraphs? Every paragraph in a paper should be Unified—All of the sentences in a single paragraph should be related to a single controlling idea (often expressed in the topic sentence of the paragraph). Clearly related to the thesis—The sentences should all refer to the central idea, or thesis, of the paper (Rosen and Behrens 119). Coherent—The sentences should be arranged in a logical manner and should follow a definite plan for development (Rosen and Behrens 119). Well-developed—Every idea discussed in the paragraph should be adequately explained and supported through evidence and details that work together to explain the paragraph’s controlling idea (Rosen and Behrens 119). top Read more:  How many sentences in a paragraph for college. How do I organize a paragraph? There are many different ways to organize a paragraph. The organization you choose will depend on the controlling idea of the paragraph. Below are a few possibilities for organization, with brief examples. Narration: Tell a story. Go chronologically, from start to finish. (See an example.) Description: Provide specific details about what something looks, smells, tastes, sounds, or feels like. Organize spatially, in order of appearance, or by topic. (See an example.) Process: Explain how something works, step by step. Perhaps follow a sequence—first, second, third. (See an example.) Classification: Separate into groups or explain the various parts of a topic. (See an example.) Illustration: Give examples and explain how those examples prove your point. (See the detailed example in the next section of this handout.) 5-step process to paragraph development Let’s walk through a 5-step process to building a paragraph. Each step of the process will include an explanation of the step and a bit of â€Å"model† text to illustrate how the step works. Our finished model paragraph will be about slave spirituals, the original songs that African Americans created during slavery. The model paragraph uses illustration (giving examples) to prove its point. Step 1. Decide on a controlling idea and create a topic sentence Paragraph development begins with the formulation of the controlling idea. This idea directs the paragraph’s development. Often, the controlling idea of a paragraph will appear in the form of a topic sentence. In some cases, you may need more than one sentence to express a paragraph’s controlling idea. Here is the controlling idea for our â€Å"model paragraph,† expressed in a topic sentence: Model controlling idea and topic sentence— Slave spirituals often had hidden double meanings. Step 2. Explain the controlling idea Paragraph development continues with an expression of the rationale or the explanation that the writer gives for how the reader should interpret the information presented in the idea statement or topic sentence of the paragraph. The writer explains his/her thinking about the main topic, idea, or focus of the paragraph. Here’s the sentence that would follow the controlling idea about slave spirituals: Model explanation—On one level, spirituals referenced heaven, Jesus, and the soul; but on another level, the songs spoke about slave resistance. Step 3. Give an example (or multiple examples) Paragraph development progresses with the expression of some type of support or evidence for the idea and the explanation that came before it. The example serves as a sign or representation of the relationship established in the idea and explanation portions of the paragraph. Here are two examples that we could use to illustrate the double meanings in slave spirituals: Model example A— For example, according to Frederick Douglass, the song â€Å"O Canaan, Sweet Canaan† spoke of slaves’ longing for heaven, but it also expressed their desire to escape to the North. Careful listeners heard this  second meaning in the following lyrics: â€Å"I don’t expect to stay / Much longer here. / Run to Jesus, shun the danger. / I don’t expect to stay.† Model example B— Slaves even used songs like â€Å"Steal Away to Jesus (at midnight)† to announce to other slaves the time and place of secret, forbidden meetings. Step 4. Explain the example(s) The next movement in paragraph development is an explanation of each example and its relevance to the topic sentence and rationale that were stated at the beginning of the paragraph. This explanation shows readers why you chose to use this/or these particular examples as evidence to support the major claim, or focus, in your paragraph. Continue the pattern of giving examples and explaining them until all points/examples that the writer deems necessary have been made and explained. NONE of your examples should be left unexplained. You might be able to explain the relationship between the example and the topic sentence in the same sentence which introduced the example. More often, however, you will need to explain that relationship in a separate sentence. Look at these explanations for the two examples in the slave spirituals paragraph: Model explanation for example A— When slaves sang this song, they could have been speaking of their departure from this life and their arrival in heaven; however, they also could have been describing their plans to leave the South and run, not to Jesus, but to the North. Model explanation for example B—[The relationship between example B and the main idea of the paragraph’s controlling idea is clear enough without adding another sentence to explain it.] Step 5. Complete the paragraph’s idea or transition into the next paragraph The final movement in paragraph development involves tying up the loose ends  of the paragraph and reminding the reader of the relevance of the information in this paragraph to the main or controlling idea of the paper. At this point, you can remind your reader about the relevance of the information that you just discussed in the paragraph. You might feel more comfortable, however, simply transitioning your reader to the next development in the next paragraph. Here’s an example of a sentence that completes the slave spirituals paragraph: Model sentence for completing a paragraph— What whites heard as merely spiritual songs, slaves discerned as detailed messages. The hidden meanings in spirituals allowed slaves to sing what they could not say. Notice that the example and explanation steps of this 5-step process (steps 3 and 4) can be repeated as needed. The idea is that you continue to use this pattern until you have completely developed the main idea of the paragraph. Narration, description, process, clasification, illustration  topics sentence,controlling idea,give example,explain,complete,transition

My Grandmothers House by Kamla Das Essay

Kamala Das is one of the best poets in contemporary Indo-Anglian literature. Kamala Das, born in Kerala in 1934, is a bilingual writer. She writes in Malayalam, her mother tongue, under the pseudonym Madhavikkutty. Her poetry is an exploration of the geography of her own mind, and the lyric is an instance of such self-exploration. Through images of repulsion and horror, she brings out the emotional emptiness and sterility of her married life, and the intensity of her misery as a wife who had to submit to her husband whom she found repulsive, and with whom she had no emotional contact at all. She has won many prizes for her work . some of them being the P. E. N. Asian Poetry Prize, Kerala Sahitya Academy Award for fiction, Asian World Prize for literature, Kendra Sahitya Academy Award etc. She was short listed for the Nobel Prize along with Marguerite Yourcenar, Doris Lessing and Nadine Gordimer. On 31 May 2009, aged 75, she died at a hospital in Pune, but has earned considerable respect in recent years. Themes in the Poetry of Kamala Das: The poetry of Kamala Das is a search for the essential woman, and hence the woman persona of her poems plays the various roles of unhappy woman, unhappy wife, mistress to lusty men, reluctant nymphomaniac {A woman with abnormal sexual desires}, silent Devdasi and love-lord Radha. Kamala Das has also been called a poet in the confessional mode. The confessional poets deal with emotional experiences which are generally taboo. There is a ruthless self-analysis and a tone of utter sincerity. E. V.  Ramakrishnan rightly says, â€Å"In her poetry, Kamala has always dealt with private humiliations and sufferings which are the stock themes of confessional poetry. † Reminiscent of the Poet’s Ancestral Home: The poem is a reminiscence {a mental understanding of the poem by people} of the poetess’ grandmother and their ancestral home at Malabar in Kerala. Her memory of love she received from her grandmother is attached with the image of her ancestral home, where she had passed some of the happiest days of her life, and where her old grandmother had showered her love and affection. With the death of her grandmother the house withdrew into silence. When her grandmother died, even the house seemed to share her grief, which is expressed in a very touching manner in the phrase â€Å"the House withdrew†. The house soon was crushed by grief and snakes crawled among books. Her blood became cold like the moon because there was none to love her the way she wanted. She understands that she cannot reclaim the past but she wants to go back home, look once again through its windows and bring back a handful of darkness – sad and painful memories, which she would have made her constant companion, to keep as a reminder of her past happiness. The poet is unable to proceed with her thoughts for sometime as is indicated by the ellipses dots. The poet is now strangled with the intensity of grief. She craves for love like a beggar going from one door to another asking for love in small change. Her need for love and acceptance is not satisfied in marriage and she goes after strangers for love at least in small quantity. But she does not get it even in small change or coins. Her love-hunger remains unsatisfied, and there is a big void, a blank within her, she seeks to fill up with love but to no advantages . The image of the window is a link between the past and the present. It signifies the desire of the poet for a nostalgic peep into her past and resurrects her dreams and desires. The moon is being an emblem of love. The worms on the books seem like snakes at that moment, in comparison to the size of the little girl. The poet also implies that the deserted house is like a desert with reptiles crawling over. The poet now longs to ‘peer’ at a house that was once her own. She has to peek through the ‘blind eyes’ of the windows as the windows are permanently closed. The air is frozen now, as compared to when the grandmother was alive-the surroundings were filled with the warmth of empathy. Kamala Das pleads with us to â€Å"listen† to the â€Å"frozen† air. Neither is the air a visual medium, nor can air cause any displacement because it is â€Å"frozen†. In wild despair, she longs to bring in an â€Å"armful of darkness†. Firstly, that it is not a ‘Handful’ but an armful. Secondly, ‘darkness’ that generally has negative shades to it, has positive effect here of a protective shadow. It also reflects the ‘coziness’ inside the house. This armful of darkness is her essence of craving for her past. Kamala Das was very proud about her grandmother and the love she received. The Ellipsis after the word loved shows how much she grieves at the loss of the person who unconditionally loved her and satisfied her to the core. She was so convinced by the environment, in which she lived, that the loss of it was indigestible, and un-compromisable. She feels so proud of her grandmother and the house in such a way that she wants all the others know how promising and satisfying was the atmosphere at her grandmother’s home. The pronoun ‘I’ here is very emphatic and also melancholic. Sudden and strong in order to tell the world that no one would or could have come across such an admiring part of life the poet had lived and melancholic to let the readers know that she is a great loser and there can be no loser like her in the world. It also echoes her inner reverberations that when her grandmother was alive she was rich with love and after her demise she became bankrupt and started begging at stranger’s door. She dint expect the equal amount of love that she received from her grandmother from the society she was in but only little. Even that little love she was deprived of. This makes it clear that Kamala’s grandmother was a shape of unconditional love. Conclusion: The poem springs from her own disillusionment with her expectation of unconditional love from the one she loves. In the poem, the image of the ancestral home stands for the strong support and unconditional love she received from her grandmother. The imagery is personal and beautifully articulates her plight in a loveless marriage. Thus, the old house was for her a place of symbolic retreat to a world of innocence, purity and simplicity, a place of complete bliss and delight and peace world where love and happiness are still possible. †

10 Facts on the Geography of Beijing China

10 Facts on the Geography of Beijing China Population: 22,000,000 (2010 estimate)Land Area: 6,487 square miles (16,801 sq km)Bordering Areas: Hebei Province to the north, west, south,  and part of the east and the Tianjin Municipality to the southeastAverage Elevation: 143 feet (43.5 m) Basics About Beijing Beijing is a large city located in northern China. It is also Chinas capital city and it is considered a direct-controlled municipality and, as such, it is controlled directly by Chinas central government instead of a province. Beijing has a very large population at 22,000,000 and it is divided into 16 urban and suburban districts and two rural counties.Beijing is known as being one of the Four Great Ancient Capitals of China (along with Nanjing, Luoyang and Changan or Xian). It is also a major transportation hub, a political and cultural center of China, and was host to the 2008 Summer Olympic Games. Geographic Facts The following is a list of ten geographic facts to know about Beijing.1)The name Beijing means Northern Capital but it has been renamed several times in its history. Some of these names include Zhongdu (during the Jin Dynasty) and Dadu (under the Yuan Dynasty). The citys name was also switched from Beijing to Beiping (meaning Northern Peace) twice in its history. After the founding of the Peoples Republic of China,  however, its name officially became Beijing.2) It is believed that Beijing has been inhabited by modern humans for about 27,000 years. In addition, fossils from Homo erectus, dating back to 250,000 years ago have been found in caves in Beijings Fangshan District. Beijings history consists of struggles between various Chinese dynasties which fought for the area and used it as Chinas capital.3) In January 1949, during the Chinese Civil War, Communist forces entered Beijing, then called Beiping, and in October of that year, Mao Zedong announced the creation of the Peoples Republic of China (PRC) and renamed the city Beijing, its capital. 4) Since the founding of the PRC, Beijing underwent many changes to its physical structure, including the removal of its city wall and the construction of roads intended for cars instead of bicycles. Most recently, land in Beijing has developed at a rapid pace and many historical areas have been replaced by residences and shopping centers.5) Beijing is one of the most developed and industrial areas of China and it was one of the first post-industrial cities (meaning its economy is not based on manufacturing) to emerge in China. Finance is a major industry in Beijing, as is tourism. Beijing also has some manufacturing located on the western outskirts of the city and agriculture is produced outside of major urban areas.6) Beijing is located at the tip of the North China Plain (map) and it is surrounded by mountains to the north, northwest,  and west. The Great Wall of China is located in the northern part of the municipality. Mount Dongling is Beijings highest point at 7,555 feet (2, 303 m). Beijing also has several major rivers flowing through it which include the Yongding and the Chaobai Rivers.7) The climate of Beijing is considered humid continental with hot, humid summers and very cold, dry winters. Beijings summer climate is influenced by the East Asian monsoon. The average July high temperature for Beijing is 87.6 °F (31 °C), while the January average high is 35.2 °F (1.2 °C).8) Because of Chinas rapid growth and the introduction of millions of cars into Beijing and surrounding provinces, the city is known for its poor air quality. As a result, Beijing was the first city in China to require emissions standards to be implemented on its cars. Polluting cars have also been banned from Beijing and are not allowed to even enter the city. In addition to air pollution from cars, Beijing also has air quality problems due to seasonal dust storms that have developed Chinas northern and northwestern deserts due to erosion.9) Beijing is the second-largest (after Chon gqing) of Chinas direct-controlled municipalities. The majority of Beijings population is Han Chinese. Minority ethnic groups include Manchu, Hui and Mongol, as well as several small international communities.10) Beijing is a popular tourist destination within China because it is a center of Chinas history and culture. Many historic architectural sites and several UNESCO World Heritage Sites are within the municipality. For example, The Great Wall of China, the Forbidden City,  and Tiananmen Square are all located in Beijing. In addition, in 2008, Beijing hosted the Summer Olympic Games and sites constructed for the games, such as the Beijing National Stadium are popular.To learn more about Beijing, visit the municipalitys official website.Sources: Wikipedia.com. Beijing - Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beijing

A Failure to Respond essays

A Failure to Respond essays Between June 1941 and May 1945, six million Jews were systematically annihilated under the leadership of Adolf Hitler and the Nazi regime. However, because of Germany's firm control over most of Europe, information about theFinal Solution? wasn't leaked to the presses until a year later. In June 1942, the Daily Telegraph was the first to report that 700,000 Jews had been gassed (Laqueur, 261). The United States had already declared war against the Axis powers following Japan's bombing of Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941. One would then assume that after reading this published report that the United States, as a world power, would have jumped in and taken immediate action to halt the atrocities that were being committed by the Nazis. However, the United States? response was quite the opposite. As a world power, the United States could have and should have put forth a sizeable effort towards assisting the European Jewry, without compromising its war efforts against the Axis powe rs. The American government chose to sit on the information of the mass genocide of the European Jewry. It wasn't until November 24, 1942 that information about the genocide of the European Jewry was published in non-prominent U.S. newspapers. However, at that point, two million European Jews had already been murdered. To make matters even worse, the American State Department actively blocked information about the Nazi's persecution of the European Jewry for eleven weeks. The despicable actions of the American government didn't stop there as United States President Franklin Delano Roosevelt ignored spies who had personally witnessed the atrocities that were occurring in the Nazi death camps. President Roosevelt even went as far as claiming that he was 'too busy? when 400 Rabbis from around the U.S. came to the White House, a day before the most holy Jewish holiday, Yom Kippur, with a petition to form a council for rescue in hopes of saving 70,000 Rom...

Spring Poems (Classic and Contemporary) Collection

Spring Poems (Classic and Contemporary) Collection Our anthology of poems celebrating spring begins with a selection of classics: Tu Fu,â€Å"A Spring View† (c. 750), translated by Witter Bynner Li Po,â€Å"Waking from Drunkenness on a Spring Day† (c. 750), translated by Arthur Waley William Shakespeare,â€Å"Spring,† song from Love’s Labors Lost (1598) Thomas Nashe,â€Å"Spring, the Sweet Spring,† from Summer’s Last Will and Testament (1600) William Shakespeare,Sonnet 98 - â€Å"From you have I been absent in the spring† (1609) John Webster,â€Å"Vanitas Vanitatum,† from The Devil’s Law Case (1623) Thomas Carew,â€Å"The Spring† (1640) Robert Herrick,â€Å"Corinna’s Going a-Maying† (1648) Matsuo Basho,â€Å"Spring Rain,† â€Å"Spring Air† and Four Haiku (c. 1680) William Blake,â€Å"To Spring† (1783) Robert Burns,â€Å"Composed in Spring† (1786) William Wordsworth,â€Å"Lines Written in Early Spring† (1798) Kobayashi Issa,â€Å"Three Spring Haiku† (1804, 1818) Samuel Taylor Coleridge,à ¢â‚¬Å"Work Without Hope† (1825) Christina Rossetti,â€Å"Spring Quiet† (1847) Walt Whitman,â€Å"These I, Singing in Spring† (1860) Emily Dickinson,â€Å"A Light exists in Spring† (#812) Emily Dickinson,â€Å"A little madness in the Spring† (#1333) A.E. Housman,â€Å"Loveliest of trees, the cherry now† (1896) Robert Frost,â€Å"A Prayer in Spring† (1915) Robert Frost,â€Å"Two Tramps in Mud Time† (1934) D.H.  Lawrence,â€Å"The Enkindled Spring† (1916) Amy Lowell,â€Å"Spring Day† (1916) Robert Louis Stevenson,â€Å"Spring Carol† (1918) Gerard Manley Hopkins,â€Å"Spring† (1918) John Clare,â€Å"Young Lambs† (1920) Carl Sandburg,â€Å"Three Spring Notations on Bipeds† (1920) e.e. cummings,â€Å"in Just-† (1920) William Carlos Williams,â€Å"March† (1921) Edna St. Vincent Millay,â€Å"Spring† (1921) A.E. Housman,â€Å"Spring Morning† (1922) To which we’ve added a selection of the new poems on spring themes we’ve received from contemporary poets around the world: Denis Dunn, â€Å" 6:13 march morning† Michael Graves, â€Å"Poem to Spring in a Time of Global Warming† Dorothea Grossman, â€Å"Spring† Ruth Hill, â€Å"Light Advancing Through Trees† and â€Å"Awe† Doug Holder, â€Å"Spring On School Street. Somerville, Mass.† Margaret James, â€Å"Sunday† and â€Å"March 18† Wayne Jarus, â€Å"The Flower Garden† Guy Kettelhack, â€Å"Dithyramb for Springtime† Christine Klocek-Lim, â€Å"First Crocus† Steve Meador, â€Å"The Morning After† Justine Nicholas, â€Å"Quinquagesima† and â€Å"Magnolia† Jack Peachum, â€Å"Virginia in Spring† and â€Å"Epiphany in Carolina† Don Rehling, â€Å"Mountains Melting† Lisa Shields, â€Å"Calling Card† and â€Å"Pinked† Larissa Shmailo, â€Å"Spring Vow† Ingrid Toth, â€Å"Spring 1946† Melissa Varnavas, â€Å"Ashley’s Garden† Bill Vartnaw, â€Å"Sprin g† Enjoy these poems of the season!

Discuss the relevance of anthropological concepts, like 'spheres of Essay

Discuss the relevance of anthropological concepts, like 'spheres of exchange' - Essay Example Lastly, the essay will end with a conclusion, which sums up all the arguments and ideas discussed in the paper. Introduction Spheres of exchange refer to an anthropological concept, which entails the analysis of restrictions in trade and societies that share communal resources. In discussing spheres of exchange, the main focus is on whether principles of the market and economic theories can be considered as true in economies of all societies (Hart & Ortiz 1). This concept is based on the assumption that maximization of profit is what motivates all exchanges. All people have the sole motive to accumulate considerable profits when they engage in exchange. Therefore, the concept seeks to examine the economics behind any form of exchange in the society (Hart & Ortiz 1). Anthropologists examine this concept under economic anthropology. Based on this, the concept seeks to compare and analyze consumption, production, and exchange in societies not based in the west. In studying spheres of ex change, economic anthropologists have had two aims. One of the aims includes establishing economic activities based on the social and cultural context. The second aim entails understanding the rationality behind the systems of exchange, which seem irrational and unconventional (Hart & Ortiz 1). The anthropologists who studied spheres of exchange include Laura and Paul Bohannan; they studied this concept in their field work, in Nigeria. They provided three types of spheres: the subsistence sphere, wealth, and marriageable female relatives. The subsistence sphere consisted of food, such as grains, yams, vegetables, among others. Wealth comprised cattle, slaves, white cloth, and brass rods (Hart & Ortiz 3). Economic anthropologists Karl Polyani, Marcel Mauss, and Karl Marx have had an impact in the explanations of spheres of exchange. Polyani made a significant contribution through his comparison of economic institutions. His ideas outlined in Trade and Market in the Early Empires repr esent his beliefs. He argued that the economy of capitalistic societies is guided by values and not aim for profit (Hart & Ortiz 3). In his works, known as the gift, Mauss examines the exchange of gifts in various societies. He holds that gifts have a reciprocal nature since the receiver has an obligation to pay back what he or she got from the giver. Karl Marx made contributions in the field of anthropology through his dialectics and his arguments of social class. Neoliberal Globalization Neoliberal globalization entails efforts to remove barriers to trade and privatization of services as well as resources. The main objective of neoliberal globalization of the economy is to leave prices at the control of market forces. This tends to benefit a few in the society, while the majority suffers due to increased prices and unfavorable conditions in the market. Neo-liberalism and globalization develops within certain circumstances, which tend to be social and historical. Neo-liberalists ar gue that this concept is a law of nature. Anthropologists take globalization to mean the escalation in flows and improvement, in connections of people, values, goods, ideas, symbols, and knowledge (Hart & Ortiz 1). In anthropology, the term entails descriptions on how the market has prevailed. As a result, the economy became less dependent on political, social, and cultural forces. This has led to profound dominance of the market in

Building Trust in your Leadership Among your Subordinates Research Paper - 1

Building Trust in your Leadership Among your Subordinates - Research Paper Example Leaders must make their weight considered by example and the implanting of assertiveness in their subordinates. The definitive evaluation of the success of leaders is when their prominence is considered by the accomplishment of the ones they lead. Therefore, a leader should not enforce power, since superiority in itself can not at all make a boss (Saunders, 2008). This paper will discuss the trust among the leaders and their assistants as well as the capabilities regarding the assessment of leadership. It will also outline the various models to be used, and procedures that would build the confidence of subordinates to their bosses. The script will also outline the importance of building trust between the junior staffs and their higher authority, as well as what leaders should do to develop their leadership skills. Trust between leaders and the junior staffs have significance in terms of unity and task accomplishment. It develops the personality contained by the authority and bind leaders along with the subordinates together. Friendship and unity are results of established trust among the subordinates and their persons in charge. Believing soldiers to carry out critical assignments keeps their standing and conceit on the limelight. The undertaking of an army leader becomes extremely personal, and chances rise once there is trust from the others. The leaders ought to have honesty to build trust along with sureness in their own selves and the subordinates. Once leaders do what is right, the junior staffs will have trust on them (Giovannelli, and Yamamoto, 2009, P 91-92). Development of trust has numerous consequences on the establishment and the leaders themselves. Firstly, there is a reduction in the necessity of the leaders to supervise sensitively, the subordinates for indications that they a re sticking to their expectations. Likewise, trust lessens the requirement

The impact of online courses on education. You might focus on a Essay

The impact of online courses on education. You might focus on a particular field of study for this choice I would focus on business - Essay Example Online education is one of the most important alternatives that can provide students time and new ideas for business oriented decisions. This essay will discuss about the impacts of online education on Master of Business Administration. Online education has been doubted by many people because of the change in the educational trend (Green, 2000). In the modern world Online education is accepted by students because of various reasons. Students who choose online education courses mostly belong from middle or lower class group and they prefer to work while they are studying. Master of Business Administration is a course that is available for business studies. Students participating in M.B.A. mostly have a tendency to become young entrepreneurs. Online educations have been able to shift the paradigm that has helped students to think in a creative manner because they are exposed to numerous knowledge forums rather than a single opinion of a particular text. Education should focus on business for solutions to its problems (Levy, 2003). Education does not simply mean a classroom with many students and a faculty standing in front of them. The implementation of technology is a positive way to achieve educational goals. Students getting knowledge through online education also get the support of faculties online. There are course materials provided to students through online web sites that offer the courses. In the traditional class-room there is a lack of innovation despite of prescribed texts and support from online materials. (Pierce, 2007) Students who go to college and sit in classroom have notion that they have to complete the syllabus provided to them in a stipulated amount of time but the creative thinking in the mind of students do-not get proper space to boost up. M.B.A. is a course that helps students to understand the working of organizations. The job profile and responsibility of an employee is well described in the course

UK Taxation System Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

UK Taxation System - Essay Example Alongside, the developments in the indirect taxation are also described. Income Tax is believed to be the largest source of earning equating up to 30% of the total tax revenue in UK. This is charged on salaries from employment, on rental income for let-out properties, on bank and building societies' interests and on company dividends. The one that comes next in this list is the Value Added Tax (VAT). VAT is charged to the customer by businesses on the supply of goods and services in the country. The revenue generated by the UK government by way of VAT comes somewhere around to 23% of the total tax revenue and also this is believed to be the second largest earner of revenue to the government. Apart from this the government of UK also generates revenue through some other kinds of taxes like the National Insurance Contributions (NIC), duties and Corporations Tax, the contribution of which are believed to be 21%, 16% and 8% respectively. There exist also other sources of contributions like the Capital Gains Tax (CGT), Inheritance Tax (IHT), Stamp Duty (SD) and Stamp Duty Land Tax (SDLT) etc., which form the rest of the total tax revenue. The Tax Year: The Tax Year in the United Kingdom starts on the 6th of April in the current year and ends on 5th of April in the following year. All the citizens of the country pay their income tax by reference to the same. The different kinds of rates and allowances relating to taxes are finalized in the Annual Budget which is scheduled every year in the month of March. The Tax System: A study conducted in the previous year reveals that almost 29.5 million individuals do pay tax in the form of income tax in UK. Indirect taxes are collected in the form of Excise duties, Vehicle excise duties, Insurance premium tax, Air passenger duty, Landfill Tax and Aggregates Levy etc. The government of UK levies excise duty particularly on five types of goods. They are tobacco, fuel, beer, wine and beer. A flat rate is followed for levying tax on these particular goods. When it comes to tobacco, they are additionally subject to a tax called ad valorem tax. This ad valorem tax is set up at an amount of 22% of the total retail price. The following table shows the tax rates of duties that were levied in the year 2006-07. Table.1 Excise duties, 2006-07 Good Duty (pence) Total duty as a % of price Total tax as a % of price Packet of 20 cigars: Specific + ad valorem 314 66.4 81.3 Pint of Beer 29 13.5 28.4 Wine (75cl bottle) 129 38.2 53.1 Spirits (70cl bottle) 548 48.0 62.9 Ultra-Low sulphur petrol 47 50.8 65.7 Ultra-Low sulphur diesel 47 49.1 64.0 Sources: HM Revenue and Customs website (customs.hmrc.gov.uk/channelsPortalWebApp/channelsPortalWebApp.portal'_nfpb=true&_pageLabel=pageExcise_InfoGuides); UK Trade Info website - www.uktradeinfo.co.uk; National Statistics - www.statistics.gov.uk Capital Gains Tax: The concept of Capital Gains tax was introduced in the year 1965. These capital gains are supposed to be levied on the

Car Difting Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Car Difting - Essay Example I am fascinated by high speed endeavors; high speed car drifting is one of them, though not very many people like or approve it. Car drifting improves my abilities to concentrate and control. I like car drifting because of a host of reasons. Since I was born, I have always liked to express myself in motorsports. I have watched racing movies and racing competitions for so long. I wished time would come when I get to position myself at the steering wheel and maneuver through corners at speeds not many people would dare. When I finally got a car that could enable me to drift with the least negative consequences, I made car drifting a routine activity. My liking is so great that I am willing to overlook the costs of burned tires and damaged car parts. Though it is an extremely dangerous and costly affair, I am always thrilled to step in the car and drift my way around corners or other bent parts of the road. I also like drifting because of it, I have leant many drifting techniques and the physics of racing. The feeling I get when adrenaline is rushing through my blood is great. I’ve always wanted to be in control. I like control that comes from concentrating on a particular activity. Once I realized that car drifting improves my levels of concentration and helps me gain a lot of control in driving, I have never been detached from it. This, among other aforementioned reasons is why I like car drifting even if it is dangerous and non-appealing to the majority of the population. It is clear to me that I not only get thrilled by car drifting, but also learn to control and concentrate. Quite frankly, my judgment derived from car drifting enables me to control other vehicles despite the terrain. I can have my way with many cars as a result of my liking for car drifting. Evidently, my liking for car drifting surpasses the consideration for negative effects of car drifting. This is

UK Taxation System Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

UK Taxation System - Essay Example Alongside, the developments in the indirect taxation are also described. Income Tax is believed to be the largest source of earning equating up to 30% of the total tax revenue in UK. This is charged on salaries from employment, on rental income for let-out properties, on bank and building societies' interests and on company dividends. The one that comes next in this list is the Value Added Tax (VAT). VAT is charged to the customer by businesses on the supply of goods and services in the country. The revenue generated by the UK government by way of VAT comes somewhere around to 23% of the total tax revenue and also this is believed to be the second largest earner of revenue to the government. Apart from this the government of UK also generates revenue through some other kinds of taxes like the National Insurance Contributions (NIC), duties and Corporations Tax, the contribution of which are believed to be 21%, 16% and 8% respectively. There exist also other sources of contributions like the Capital Gains Tax (CGT), Inheritance Tax (IHT), Stamp Duty (SD) and Stamp Duty Land Tax (SDLT) etc., which form the rest of the total tax revenue. The Tax Year: The Tax Year in the United Kingdom starts on the 6th of April in the current year and ends on 5th of April in the following year. All the citizens of the country pay their income tax by reference to the same. The different kinds of rates and allowances relating to taxes are finalized in the Annual Budget which is scheduled every year in the month of March. The Tax System: A study conducted in the previous year reveals that almost 29.5 million individuals do pay tax in the form of income tax in UK. Indirect taxes are collected in the form of Excise duties, Vehicle excise duties, Insurance premium tax, Air passenger duty, Landfill Tax and Aggregates Levy etc. The government of UK levies excise duty particularly on five types of goods. They are tobacco, fuel, beer, wine and beer. A flat rate is followed for levying tax on these particular goods. When it comes to tobacco, they are additionally subject to a tax called ad valorem tax. This ad valorem tax is set up at an amount of 22% of the total retail price. The following table shows the tax rates of duties that were levied in the year 2006-07. Table.1 Excise duties, 2006-07 Good Duty (pence) Total duty as a % of price Total tax as a % of price Packet of 20 cigars: Specific + ad valorem 314 66.4 81.3 Pint of Beer 29 13.5 28.4 Wine (75cl bottle) 129 38.2 53.1 Spirits (70cl bottle) 548 48.0 62.9 Ultra-Low sulphur petrol 47 50.8 65.7 Ultra-Low sulphur diesel 47 49.1 64.0 Sources: HM Revenue and Customs website (customs.hmrc.gov.uk/channelsPortalWebApp/channelsPortalWebApp.portal'_nfpb=true&_pageLabel=pageExcise_InfoGuides); UK Trade Info website - www.uktradeinfo.co.uk; National Statistics - www.statistics.gov.uk Capital Gains Tax: The concept of Capital Gains tax was introduced in the year 1965. These capital gains are supposed to be levied on the

Ben and Jerrys Remarkable Success Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Ben and Jerrys Remarkable Success - Essay Example We have a progressive, nonpartisan social mission that seeks to meet human needs and eliminate justices in or local, national and international communities by integrating these concerns into our day to day business activities. Our focus is on family and children, the environment and sustainable agriculture on family farms Employees enjoy working at Ben and Jerry's and the company maintains a low turnover. The company states that they have a deep respect for human beings inside and outside the plant. According to the Employee Job Satisfaction Model revised by Richard Scholl, job satisfaction is the employee response to the organization. The company ability to meet the expectations of employees determines job performance. The Affective component of the model reflects the way employees feel about being a part of that work force. Ben and Jerry's has succeeded in producing positive attitudes in many ways, including making working for them fun. In 1987 when increased demand put pressure on employees, Ben and Jerry's created a committee called The Joy Gang. The group plans events throughout the year for holidays, birthdays, parties and secret events to surprise employees. The supervisors participate too promoting a team feeling and avoiding the, us and them, mentality sometimes occurring in big business. The management structure has captured the attention of numerous business journals such as Ethics and Behavior, T&D and American Business Law Journal. Ben and Jerry's incorporates moral management, or as Jerry Cohen phrases it, "caring capitalism." Not only does the company donate 7.5% of annual profits to projects like the homeless, rain forests and social changes for peace, but keeps employees happy with free ice cream daily, free health club memberships and subsidized childcare. The top executive is also limited to earning seven times the amount made by the lowest paid worker (Sikula, 1996). Ben and Jerry's cooperates with the community and local farmers for raw materials. By supporting small farm operations the company honors its focus on family and socially aligning sourcing. Milk and cream is purchased from St. Albans Cooperative Creamery, which agrees not to inject the growth hormone, rBGH into dairy cows as required by Ben and Jerry's. While the hormone is approved by the FDA and increases milk production, it also causes serious health problems for the cows. The hormone is already banned in Canada and the European Union. Ben and Jerry's has also mingled passion and social responsibility into all aspects of the business including product development, human resources, plant operations and marketing. Company leaders keep the social impact of their decision making foremost in their plans, even if it means making a slim profit. The outcome of this philosophy has been incredible (Chang, 2001). In echoing the requirements of a satisfied employee as indicated by the Employee Satisfaction model, Chang stated, "People don't check their personalities at the office door and become automatons: Their performance is predicated on their feelings toward their work." Richard Chang, who is CEO of a performance improvement

Modern History Essay on USA Civil Rights Movement Essay Example for Free

Modern History Essay on USA Civil Rights Movement Essay In the USA from 1865, when slavery was abolished and African American people where supposedly considered separate but equal by the constitution, to the 1960s, when the African Americans where actually considered equal, segregation practises where being endorsed throughout the USA. Segregation was the practice of separating the white Americans and the African Americans. Segregation occurred when the white Americans continued their upper status on the previously enslaved African Americans, therefore maintaining the African Americans status of repression. However throughout the later 1950s to 1960s American went through the Civil Rights Movement, in which the African Americans aimed for a desegregated society that maintained equality. Throughout the Civil Rights Movement many non-violent protests were held creating direct confrontation urging changes to be made within segregated social areas. Therefore non-violent direct confrontation was the successful means which helped to end segregation practises in the USA. Non-violence was the concept of holding a protest that was peaceful and did not retaliate to violence that was likely to be present. The most successful aspect of these protests was direct confrontation. This was when the African Americans would directly break one of the rules in public segregation, causing direct friction within the segregated society, to push the boundaries in which African American people where confined. The confrontation along with the friction created by these peaceful protests predominantly concluded with change due to the persistence of the African Americans. Despite the escalating violence that was waiting at the majority of the African Americans protests they continued, fighting for their civil rights as humans. One of the most supported organisations for African Americans, by not only African Americans themselves but also white Americans in support of desegregation, was the National Association for the Advancement of Coloured People (the NAACP). As well one of the most historically supported leaders of the NAACP, Martin Luther King’s virtues for desegregation was non-violent protesting. The increasing levels of support for the NAACP helped create mass protest to which those higher up within the government would be forced into acting upon to eradicate the chance of the protest escalating into a violent scene caused by the white Americans. Therefore it is clearly evident that non-violent, direct confrontation was a marginally successful approach to the Civil Rights Movement. Throughout the Civil Rights Movement the media played a major role in the method of non-violence in the ending of segregation. Although the African Americans had a great dedication to their protests they would not have been as greatly supported through these protests without the media. Television station camera men, reporters and photographers, where able to capture the violence and abuse directed at the African American’s, thus demonstrating the resilience of the protesters. Furthermore showing the general American public that in these situations of protests the aggressors where the white Americans and the treatment of the African Americans were unjust. Not only was this evidence of repression upon the African Americans displayed amongst the American media but also global media. Therefore effecting America’s superior reputation amidst the Cold War, giving the current enemy reason as to why capitalism was potentially failing and to their acquainted supporters and potential supporters. This global recognition for a Civil Rights struggle gave motivation to politics to act upon this situation to maintain their global reputation. Therefore the recognition of the African Americans repression and unjust treatment was national and globally recognised, thus gaining support from white Americans after this realisation. Hence the global realisation of this unjust treatment emphasised the need of social change to the government therefore giving some explanation as to the equality that becomes desegregation. Many of the non-violent protests African Americans undertook where simple acts however they caused extravagant aggravation due to racist view that the superior percentage of Americans had grown up amongst. One of the protests conducted by seven African Americans and six white Americans was abruptly ended when bus companies refused to carry them on further through their journey as they were confronted with a brutal mob that violently physically abused them and destroyed the busses that carried them. This protest was the Freedom Rides, protesting to desegregate bus terminals and associated facilities. However other protest groups pushed forward with the Freedom Rides continuing the journey and withstanding the violence until significant action was taken by the government. The desegregation for bus terminal and associated facilities was finally arranged after a major uprise in support for these freedom Riders. Much alike the Freedom Rides, Lunch Counter Sit-Ins were a peaceful protest than ended the desegregation of lunch counters. It started with the simple act on February 4th with of four African American college students sitting at a Woolworths lunch counter until the stores closing after being refused serves due to their race. This protest escalated in size and expanded rapidly due to the support it received. Over 50,000 people participated in one or more of the sit in’s within a year in over 15 different states and various cities. Due to the size and direct confrontation of this protest, abuse and violence erupted in many of the Sit-Ins encouraging the government to desegregate to maintain the countries reputation. Thus although many of the protests conducted where simple acts of rebellion for the African Americans the persistence of them where found confronting to the white Americans therefore resulting in change. Further on during the Civil Rights Movement it became apparent that many other organisations for African Americans gained further support, this including the Muslim religion and in particular those surrounding Malcolm X. Although Malcolm X’s and Martin Luther King’s values for the equality of African Americans differ, their main aim was equality with the white Americans. Malcolm X supported maintaining the separation of the races where as King supported the integration of the races in an equal society. Malcolm X was an activist of the Muslim religion; he focused in eradicating the repression on the African Americans that was being held upon by the white Americans, much alike Martin Luther King. However they differ as King’s protests were supporting the integration of the races and living peacefully together, were as Malcolm believed in the maintaining of the separation of the races. However as history has proven within American prior to the late 1950s that separate is not equal, as much as that may be the aim. Hence it becomes evident that Malcolm X’s protests didn’t succeed in the equality of African American, whereas Martin Luther King’s non-violent protests to integrate proved very successful. Therefore throughout the Civil Rights Movement many different protests where held, and many different organisations where supported however the most successfully was non-violence. These non-violence tactics as stated earlier, where the most effective due to the media coverage, persistence of the large quantity and direct confrontation. Without these aspects the non-violence practices for ending segregation within the USA wold not have been as nearly as efficient. Thus using non-violent methods as a means for ending segregation within the USA proved to be highly successful.

A Study On Elizabethan Love Sonnets

A Study On Elizabethan Love Sonnets Our anthology of Renaissance poetry focuses on the Elizabethan period and in particular the sonnet as a genre. Furthermore, we have focused on the theme of love as a dominant trend through the sonnets of this time as it will provide a familiar yet central introduction to the Renaissance period for first year college students. Under the parameters of the theme of the love sonnet we have chosen to concentrate on love as a tool for courtship, the poets attempt to immortalise his beloved through verse, love conquering depression and the link between love, sex and sexuality which is obvious in the Renaissance period. Using sonnets from Shakespeare, Sidney, Donne and Spenser, we aim to provide a clear rationale as to why the love sonnet really was representative of the Elizabethan era and of the English Literary Renaissance on a broader scale. Along with the advancement of Renaissance Italian poetry came the introduction of the love sonnet, a genre which developed through the English Literary Renaissance from Sidneys time and reached its peak with Shakespeare. â€Å"There are periods in the history of any literature when what poets need most is a formal convention which will enable them to study the demands of the medium quite objectively, with a craftsmans eye, and prevent them from merely splashing about in a language that has not been tempered to meet the precise curve of the meaning. The sonnet form met this need for English poets in the sixteenth century†. (Daiches, 1960, 150) Although the English Literary Renaissance developed further after the Elizabethan period, we feel that the sonnet is representative of Renaissance. The sonnet as a genre represents the development in the cultural in Elizabethan time spanning from ranging from Sidney to Shakespeare. Sir Philip Sidney first introduces the sonnet to Elizabethan England, demonstrating a strict adherence to the Petrarchan sonnet, both in form and content. This can be seen in the use of unrequited love in Sidneys collection of sonnets Astrophil and Stella continuing to the later stages of the Elizabethan era with Shakespeare and his interpretation of the sonnet, the Shakespearean sonnet. The difference mainly revolves around the poets ideas of love and how it should be defined. In Shakespeares Sonnet 130, the poet represents the shift from traditional views of the definition of idyllic love, where beauty is defined by a womans perfect outward beauty. â€Å"My mistress eyes are nothing like the sun; Coral is far more red than her lips red; If snow be white, why her breasts are dun† which is in direct conflict with the unrequited love or chivalri c love presented in the earlier Sidney sonnets. In this way it can be argued that Shakespeare represents the development of the sonnet over the span of the Elizabethan period and as such gives a great introductory insight into how love was treated in the Renaissance as a whole. Similarly, although Spensers Sonnet 54 does not flatter the object of his affection in the usual Renaissance manner, it is clear his love is for the woman is strong. A typical use of Elizabethan love sonnets is as a courting mechanism for the poet; a tool for which he can woo his beloved. While Sonnet 54 is unflattering on a surface level, Spenser connects with the object of his affection on a deeper level, a method which may have made a stronger impression on her. Another aspect of Elizabethan love sonnets is the poets attempt to immortalise his beloveds beauty and the love he had for the subject through verse. Edmund Spensers Sonnet 75 and Sonnet 79 are perfect examples of this. Sonnet 75 has a reflective, pensive tone as while it celebrates the beauty of his lover, it laments the transience of the human condition, something which is characteristic of Renaissance poetry. Similarly, Sonnet 79 is a celebration of the poets beloved, but unlike Sonnet 75, Spenser wants to immortalise her inner beauty. We felt that this was important as it is not representative of Elizabethan poetry, yet shows that the poets have the capacity to delve deeper than the celebration of physical beauty. Often we are presented with an image of the Elizabethan poet in a transitory state of depression which he knows will dissipate in time because his wife ultimately makes him the happiest in this world. Sonnet 34 by Spenser likens the poet to a ship lost at sea during a storm at the worst of times. â€Å"The Amoretti describes the growth of the poets love, moving from lust, the desire for possession of the beloved, to charity, the experience of the Not-self. The character of the lady in the sequence is static because her virtue is perfect from the beginning.† (Benson, 1972, 185) Shakespeares Sonnet 14 â€Å"In a period where gender identity is so crucial, where being a man (or woman) has such profound meanings, and where these roles were heavily discussed, it seems improbable that there was not a sense of sexual consciousness.† (Hattaway, 2000, 685) This improbability is confirmed by the love sonnets of William Shakespeare. Shakespeare sonnets can be split up into three different sections. Sonnets 1 126 are thought to have been addressed to a young male, whom in Shakespeares eyes has outstanding physical and intellectual attributes. Although requited love was a theme of Elizabethan love poetry, many poems have been dedicated to unrequited love. Sonnet 30 from Spensers Amoretti describes the struggle of a poet who courts a woman who is not in love with him. Using the familiar metaphor of fire and ice and how they are incompatible, he describes his heated fire-like affection and longing for the woman but cannot understand her cold, detached and ice-like distance from him. Spensers incredulousness at the way in which his courtship did not melt her cold heart is significant as it gives a modern audience an insight into Elizabethan love as a whole; women had more influence over who could court them than is perceived in modern culture. â€Å"Obviously enough, if we read the lady of the Amoretti as a type of Beatrice, all of the sonnets which emphasize her apparent cruelty are in fact fitting expressions of the appro-priate and necessary reaction of perfection to imperfection.† (Benson, 1972, 186) In this same w ay, Sidneys Sonnet 31 from Astrophil and Stella portrays exasperation with its subject for her lack of romantic interest. Had Stella paid attention to Astrophil by reading his sonnets dedicated to her, she would have realised the depth of his love for her and in due course returned it. Furthermore, this poem gives us a wonderful example of chivalric love and courtship that is typical of the Elizabethan age. â€Å"Physical union alone did not lead to this new form just as lust did not lead to virtuous love. Only from the latter-a love which was constant and true came the union of souls towards which the love of rational creatures was supposed to strive.† (Cirillo, 1969, 84) Bibliography Cirillo, A. C., The Fair Hermaphrodite: Love-Union in the Poetry of Donne and Spenser, 1969

GMA and Another EDSA threat :: essays research papers

I’m not a supporter of GMA (and I will never be), but I do not agree that she should step down from her post. GMA resigning would mean that the no-brainer Noli de Castro will be the 15th President of the pitiful Philippine Republic – and that’s the last thing I would dream of. But if the Filipinos would prefer to add another episode to the never-ending EDSA Revolution series, then Mrs. Susan Roces-Poe would take over her post. What’s wrong with Noli and Susan? Noli de Castro is a well-known Lopez crony, and if he will become a president our Meralco bills will be as high as the Lotto Jackpot prize. And besides, he doesn’t have any leadership qualities nor the mind to rule a country. He being a vice-president and senator is even unacceptable. And Mrs. Poe is just the same. Let’s face it: a president should be someone with at least a college degree. Mere sales clerks are required to have such educational attainment, why not require it to the highest post on the land? The problem in this country is the fact that the electorate can easily be charmed with a ridiculous circus performance during the campaign period. Charisma will never fill our empty stomachs. So if GMA stepping down would result to Kabayan or Inday being our next president, then I think it would be a bit better to stay with GMA – unless Ping Lacson is one of the options. It’s like choosing the lesser between two (or three?) evils as they say. Yet, Mrs. Arroyo should still be responsible for the alleged cheating she did last 2004 Elections. Sorry would never do it this time (maybe because we are not as holy as God?) because anyone who committed crimes did not get away with what they did just because they apologized. I don’t know if she will ever turn into a

Investigating Cameron Balloons Essay

Cameron Balloons The first business I have chosen is Cameron Balloons. I have chosen this business because it seems interesting to me about investigating a hot air balloon manufacturer. Activity Cameron Balloons manufacture Hot Air Balloons, Inflatables and also Airships, which are also known as Blimps. Cameron Balloons are also known for their special shaped balloons, which they created. Cameron Balloons have diversified into making medical products for hospitals and nursing homes. Jim Howard from Cameron Balloons and surgeon Harry Espiner teamed up to make Espiner Medical Products Ltd, which were supplied with materials by Cameron Balloons. One of their medical products is called ‘Laparoscopic Sacs’, or ‘Lap Sacs’ in short. They help with tissue retrieval. They also produce hyperslide transfer sheets which easily help transfer patients from wheel chairs to beds. This means that Cameron Balloons operates in the secondary sector, because they do not get raw materials themselves, but they manufacture the materials and sell them. They have also diversified into making medical products and supply hospitals. Other businesses in this sector include: * Aerospace manufacturing * Car manufacturing * Clothing industry * Electronics * Engineering * Energy industries * Metalworking * Software engineering * Telecommunications Industry * Tobacco industry * The main customers involved with Cameron balloons would be hot air ballooners * The main competitors involved would be other hot air balloons manufacturers (See D1 – Cameron Balloons External Influences – Business Competitors for a list of cameron balloons’ worldwide competitors) * Cameron balloons only used to make hot air balloons just like any ordinary balloon manufacturer. In 1975, Cameron balloons began making special shaped balloons. Cameron balloons have also recently began making medical products * When Cameron balloons began making special shaped balloons, they became the biggest manufacturers of hot air balloons. They also expanded by diversifying into making medical products Location Cameron balloons’ location is in St. Johns Street in Bedminister, which is in Bristol. It has many travel links (for different common types of transport) and also has many points of interest nearby. Cameron balloons have chosen a good place for the business because: * There are many transport links close to the Cameron Balloons site. Lots of major roads, including the A38 and the A4, are close to the site, Bristol Airport is 9 kilometres away along the A38, the rail station next to the site, and the M32 is 5 kilometers away. These links are important for Cameron Balloons’ suppliers, customers and staff. Good rail links mean that heavy equipment and supplies can be brought in easily; good road and rail links give employees easy access to the site. Bristol’s air and sea links are also important as more than 80% of Cameron Balloons’ output is exported. * The site in Bedminster is large enough to allow the business to expand when it needs more space. * Cameron Balloons need employees with convenient access for them to get to work. It also needed a certain amount of experts in the aeronautical industry, which was quite simple as the airport was so close to the site. * Because Cameron Balloons is one of the biggest and best ballooning companies, the reputation of it helped to attract both skilled employees and new customers. * Because there are many points of interest nearby, it should be easy to find the location of the business It was a coincidence that the location of Cameron balloons was in Bristol, as this was where Don Cameron first started his business as a sole trader. Here is a map of Cameron Balloons’ location along with a smaller map showing the main roads: Here is another map showing areas of points of interest and travel links: Ownership Cameron Balloons is a private limited company (Ltd.). When Don started the business, he was a sole trader. Owners usually make their businesses private limited companies because there are more advantages than disadvantages. The advantages and disadvantages of a private limited company are: Advantages Disadvantages Protection of Limited liablilty Profits have to be shared out amongst a potentially larger number of people Owner isn’t personally responsible for companies debts No benefit from scale economies (e.g. bulk buying, cheaper borrowing e.t.c.) If business name is licensed, it cant be duplicated by someone else Owner is accountable to shareholders for the operation and profitability of the company More capital can be raised as no limit on number of shareholders Detailed legal procedures must be followed to set up the business – consuming time and money Cheap and easy to set up If the owner has to sell any of his shareholding, he could lose his business Owner is major shareholder Financial information can be inspected by any member of the public once filed with the registrar, including competitiors Owner can raise money from friends and family Owner can sell the business if he wants to Control of company cannot be lost to outsiders – shares only sold if all shareholders agree Easier to borrow money The business will continue to run even one of the owners dies, shares being transferred to another owner Aims & Objectives The main aims of Cameron Balloons are: * To make a profit * To expand * To be the biggest balloon manufacturers * To make 500 balloons in a year and hit a turnover of à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½10,000,000 * To improve the efficiency of their balloons to help improve performance and care for the environment * To provide hospitals with medical products to help patients There are objectives for each aim. Cameron Balloons are a successful company, so they don’t have to worry about surviving at the present time unless they get hard competition from another business and start making losses, so the business mainly focuses on making a profit. They are currently aiming to make 500 balloons a year and hit a turnover of à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½10,000,000, which is about à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½3,000,000 more than what they made in 1996. They want to make more sales than their competitors, and they have currently achieved this by manufacturing special shaped balloons. They are always trying to make a new special shape or improve the performance of their current balloons Cameron Balloons are an expanding company. They have diversified into producing medical products for hospitals. Marketed by Espiner Medical Products, Cameron Balloons have been producing ‘lapsacs’ which helps in tissue retrieval in operations. They also produce ‘Hyperslide’ patient transfer sheets, which are made from balloon fabric. The surface has no friction which helps to easily move patients from wheelchairs to beds. This could help Cameron Balloons as well as hospitals as Cameron Balloons can use their own balloon fabric, and if they have spare or scrap fabric after making balloons, they can make use of it, make profit and make less waste, which is good for the business, hospitals and the environment. Cameron Balloons wanted to become the largest balloon manufacturer in the world, which soon turned into a success after producing the first special shaped balloons. The first special shape balloon was built in 1975 and the company has produced more than 400 designs, including Disney’s Fantasia castle, a dragon, a space shuttle, several cows and numerous cans, houses and bottles. Cameron balloons always need to keep checking whether they are meeting their objectives. Only then will they be able to meet their aims. A way to help to check if Cameron ballons are meeting their objectives is by having objectives which are measurable. For example, if an objective of Cameron balloons is to make 40 balloons per month, then they can see after each month whether they are meeting their objective or not. If they are not meeting their objective, then they will know that they won’t meet their aim unless they make more balloons next month until they reach their objective and account for the previous month. But if an objective of Cameron balloons is to make more balloons than their competitor each month, then if they are meeting their objective, they still might not be successful. This is because even though Cameron balloons is ahead of their competitor, Cameron balloons won’t be making many balloons if their competitor is failing. Richer Sounds The second business I have chosen is Richer Sounds. I have chosen this business because I already have some knowledge about the business. Activity Richer Sounds sell entertainment systems. They sell their goods in three ways, which are from the stores directly, by mail order and over the internet. They had tried to diversify into selling telephones, musical equipment and videos. However, these were all unsuccessful. Richer Sounds is in the tertiary sector because it gets supplied by products but Richer Sounds don’t make the products themselves. Other businesses in this sector include: * Franchising * Restaurants * News media * Hotels * Consulting * Hospitals * Waste disposal * Real estate * Personal services * Business services * richer sounds’ main customers could be anyone as most people buy what richer sounds sell * richer sounds have lots of competitors. a competitor of richer sounds could be a retailer of anything that richer sounds sells. The main competitors could be the ones that are close to richer sounds. Richer sounds still have to keep in mind about other competitiors as well as lots of businesses sell their stock online. * Richer sounds have tried to diversify into selling other equipment, but failed, so they stay as a specialist of what they always sell * Because richer sounds hasn’t changed and stays as a specialist of certain equipment, it means they can provide better, specialist customer service, which is one of their main qualities Location Richer Sounds have 44 stores nationwide. Their first store was opened at London bridge walk in 1978 because Julian Richer was working in that area and bought the shop. After that, a store was opened in Stockport because people from Manchester were going to the London store, so if they made a store closer to them, it would mean less hassle for more people and more profit for Richer Sounds. Their main warehouse is in Lancashire. It has more than 74,000 sq ft of storage space. The products get distributed to all the stores or customers who bought something from Richer Sounds from the internet. The distribution director is Solomon Essah Essel. He and the employees that work with him are responsible for the storage and distribution of the goods in the warehouse. The warehouse is in a good location as it is near central England, and because richer sounds is a nationwide company, it means that the shops and customers can be supplied with not much hassle. It also has good travel links to hel p with delivering. Ownership Richer Sounds is an unlisted public limited company (Plc.). They became a public limited company so they could get limited liability benefits, so Julian Richer doesn’t become personally liable for the companies debts. But they do not put their shares on the stock market. This is because they do not need to get additional capital by giving their business away to people outside the business. The advantages and disadvantages of a Plc. are listed below: Advantages Disadvantages Same as Ltd. Expensive set up cost of all forms of business organisation considered Increased potential for raising finance by share issues or through other financial investors Due to public transfer of shares, more open to hostile takeover bids Due to size they can gain from Economies of Scale Tighter levels of regulation The Plc. can use its power/size to dominate a market, (e.g. purchasing competitors) Public ownership by minority shareholders does not provide them as owners with any real control of the business Large Plc.’s may suffer from diseconomies of scale By having limited liablility, the owner’s personal possessions (e.g. his/her house, car e.t.c.) can’t be taken to repay for the business’s debts. Many owners prefer choosing this type of liability. There is also unlimited liability. This can apply to sole traders, small businesses e.t.c. their personal posessions can be taken from them if their business gets into debt. Aims & Objectives Richer Sounds have aims and objectives to help keep the business moving forward. This is why they have a mission statement, which is shown below: RICHER SOUNDS MISSION STATEMENT 1. To provide second to none service and value for money for our customers. 2. To provide ourselves with secure well paid jobs working in a stimulating and equal opportunities environment. 3. To be profitable to ensure our long term growth and survival. Richer Sounds have many aims. The main one is to provide good customer service and provide good value products. Richer Sounds aim to reward employees and to be equal with everyone. Another main aim is to make a profit, which is the same with all profit making organisations. Richer Sounds don’t just pay salaries. They like it, and are generous in giving it. They also have bonus schemes for employees. Julian Richer, the chairman and David Robinson, the group managing director decide on ten goals for the business for the next 12 months which they want to achieve. One of Richer Sounds objectives is to keep the business fun. This keeps employees motivated and makes them work to their full potential. They also want to continually improve on customer service and produce new services. They also change the business to help it work more efficiently. Employees also get the chance to submit suggestions to richer sounds and they also get rewarded for it. Richer sounds also provide services for homeless people, by having touch screens available to them to help them find places where they can stay. Richer sounds need to make sure their objectives are measurable. For example, if richer sounds aim to get a certain amount of profit by the end of the year, then their objectives could be to get a certain amount of profit by the end of the month. This can help them to keep track and to help them see if they need to work harder or if they need to set a higher aim. A2 Activity One of the main differences between Cameron Balloons and Richer Sounds is that Cameron Balloons is a manufacturing company and Richer Sounds is a retailing company. Cameron Balloons also managed to successfully diversify into manufacturing medical products. Richer Sounds, however, tried to diversify into making telephones, musical equipment and videos, but failed. Location Cameron Balloons is situated in Bristol. It is good for this type of business because it has good transport links and it exports products as well, so it has a good location for doing business internationally. However, it isn’t a that much of a good position for doing business nationally, although it does have good road links. So overall, it does have a good location. The warehouse for Richer Sounds is located in Lancashire, which is a good position as it is near the midlands. It doesn’t do business internationally so they have chosen a very good position for the warehouse. It is also good to have the warehouse to be situated there because they deliver to stores all over England so it would be best to have the warehouse near the midlands. Ownership Cameron Balloons is a private limited company. The advantages and disadvantages for a Ltd. company are: Advantages Disadvantages Protection of Limited liablilty Profits have to be shared out amongst a potentially larger number of people Owner isn’t personally responsible for companies debts No benefit from scale economies (e.g. bulk buying, cheaper borrowing e.t.c.) If business name is licensed, it cant be duplicated by someone else Owner is accountable to shareholders for the operation and profitability of the company More capital can be raised as no limit on number of shareholders Detailed legal procedures must be followed to set up the business – consuming time and money Cheap and easy to set up If the owner has to sell any of his shareholding, he could lose his business Owner is major sharholder Financial information can be inspected by any member of the public once filed with the registrar, including competitiors Owner can raise money from friends and family Owner can sell the business if he wants to Control of company cannot be lost to outsiders – shares only sold if all shareholders agree Easier to borrow money The business will continue to run even one of the owners dies, shares being transferred to another owner Richer Sounds is an unlisted Public limited company. The advantages and disadvantages for a Plc. are: Advantages Disadvantages Same as Ltd. Expensive set up cost of all forms of business organisation considered Increased potential for raising finance by share issues or through other financial investors Due to public transfer of shares, more open to hostile takeover bids Due to size they can gain from Economies of Scale Tighter levels of regulation The Plc. can use its power/size to dominate a market, (e.g. purchasing competitors) Public ownership by minority shareholders does not provide them as owners with any real control of the business Large Plc.’s may suffer from diseconomies of scale The boxes in underlined italics do not apply to Richer Sounds as Richer Sounds is an unlisted public limited company Aims & Objectives Cameron Balloons’ main three aims are: * To survive or make a profit * To expand * To be the biggest balloon manufacturers Richer Sounds’ main three aims are: * To provide second to none service and value for money for their customers * To provide themselves with secure well paid jobs working in a stimulating and equal opportunities environment * To be profitable to ensure their long term growth and survival Richer Sounds make it easy for people to understand their aims and objectives because they have a mission statement. Cameron Balloons do not have a mission statement. A3 Activity Cameron Balloons have expanded by diversification into making medical products. They could also diversify again using their materials to make something else. Richer Sounds could keep trying to diversify until they manage to successfully diversify into doing something. It could benefit them just like it benefits Cameron Balloons. I think the main reason why it is easier for Cameron Balloons to diversify is that Cameron Balloons is a manufacturer, and Richer Sounds is a retailer. Location Cameron Balloons have expanded their business by diversification into medical products. They could also expand by opening a new site. This will double the amount of products they sell. They could also open it in the north since their current site is in the south. This will make it easier for national deliveries. Just like what Cameron Balloons can do, Richer Sounds could make another warehouse as it could be hard and complicated for them to distribute goods to 45 stores. As their warehouse is situated in the midlands, they could have their next warehouse in the north or south, the busiest area would be a suitable location. Ownership Cameron Balloons could become a plc as there are less major disadvantages. I think Richer Sounds shouldn’t change their type of ownership but keep it as it is because they don’t want anyone to buy their shares and because of this, they have less disadvantages as a plc., and would be better off as a plc Aims & Objectives The only similarity between Cameron Balloons’ main three aims and Richer Sounds’ main three aims is to make a profit, as they are both profit making organisations. From the other two aims, Cameron Balloons only focuses on the success of the business. However, Richer Sounds focuses on the wellbeing of the employees and the satisfaction of their customers. Both of the businesses need to have a mix of the aims. Cameron Balloons need to think more about the employees and their customers and Richer Sounds need to think about how the business could improve in the long term. B1 I will be describing three functional areas at Richer Sounds. The three functional areas I will be describing are: * Store Operations * Marketing * Customer Service Store Operations The head of the store operations is John Clayton, the operation and training director. He gets help from employees working in operations, distribution, the store service and repairs, stock control and Hi-Fi Direct. Some of the responsibilities of store operations are: * Setting each store’s budget * Checking that all the stores achieve their targets and taking action if targets aren’t being met * Communicating with stores * Deciding the minimum staffing level * Sorting out any problems with employees * Sorting out any other problems * Checking orders of stock * Organising store visits * Checking that store managers undertake health and safety risk assessments * Helping store managers and employees * Making stores suitable for the area that they are in. Marketing The marketing director is Claudia Vernon. The things that she does with the employees under her control do can be split into 4 main categories. These are: * Marketing * Design * Point of sale * Their website Customer Service John Clayton is the director of customer service, who is also the operations and training director. These are some of the things they have for customer service: * Knowledgeable and friendly staff * A national call centre * A corporate sales section * Mail order and web sales * An order line for free catalogues * Specialist customer service staff * A service and repairs section * Well laid out, welcoming stores with easy access * Demonstration rooms * Pets welcome policy * Competitive prices * 100% satisfaction guaranteed or money back * New products by known manufacturers * Full access to technical back-up and spare parts * Computerised stock control system * Web access in stores * Part-exchange scheme * A clear product key code * All repairs covered by a three month warranty * Till receipt customer questionnaire * Informative in-store catalogues * Free seasonal refreshments * Free delivery scheme * Mystery shopper scheme B2 How the three functional areas work together to support the business Operations keep everything organised and under control so there are no problems. This can help the other functional areas work better. The marketing area will be able to do its bit easier as the stock order has been checked and they know what they have to sell. The customer service area will then begin and they will try to help the customer as much as possible and resolve any problems. Example 1 (Operations) Operations organise visits to the stores to make sure everything is in order. If a store isn’t visited then something could happen without operations knowing. If an employee in the marketing department has an argument with another employee from the customer service department, and if the operations department does not sort this out, then both of the employees could be slacking on their jobs. If they slack on their jobs then the marketing department won’t be able to reach its targets. The customer service could also be a failure which would harm the business more as it involves interacting people from outside the business. This could cause losses in the store as less people could be going to it. The store may then close down. This would all be because the operations didn’t do their job properly. Example 2 (Marketing) Marketing is split up into 4 groups. If one of these areas doesn’t perform well, then that could affect the other groups and could affect the whole marketing area. The operations will have to sort this out as if it isn’t sorted out, then more work will be put on the customer service area, and if they can’t handle it, then the store could close down as above. Example 3 (Customer Service) If the customer service area isn’t performing well, then this could have a major impact on the business. This is because the employees are interacting with people from outside of the business. The business could lose a lot of customers in a short amount of time if customer service isn’t good as customers wouldn’t like the service and would stop going there and wouldn’t recommend others to go there. This could also make the store close down. If any store is disliked for some reason, then it could affect other Richer Sounds stores as well because they will be losing their reputation. B3 Richer Sounds’ main three aims are: * To provide second to none service and value for money for their customers * To provide themselves with secure well paid jobs working in a stimulating and equal opportunities environment * To be profitable to ensure their long term growth and survival How the functional areas work together to achieve the aims Aim 1 – To provide second to none service and value for money for their customers The operations area keeps things organised and make sure that stores aren’t performing less than expected. They also keep in contact with stores and the stock/prices of products are sorted and organised for the stores. Depending on the location of a store, it will be customised to adapt to the environment it is in. Any problems with store managers or employees will get sorted out. This makes things easier for the marketing area. The marketing area tries to make products sell by advertising, making them look attractive e.t.c. The customer service area tries to keep the customer satisfied. Aim 2 – To provide themselves with secure well paid jobs working in a stimulating and equal opportunities environment The operations area makes the jobs easier for the marketing area and the customer service area. They sort out any problems with store managers or employees. They set budgets for stores so they can sell products, but not buy too much. They make sure that the stores are achieving their targets, otherwise something will be done about it. They keep in contact regularly with stores and also visit them. The market area tries to make products sell and want the business to be successful. The customer service area tries to satisfy the customers so the business has an increase in their reputation. Aim 3 – To be profitable to ensure their long term growth and survival The operations area sorts and organises stock/prices of products are for the stores. Setting a budget for each store can help make a profit as well as preventing a loss. Setting targets for each store makes the employees work to their potential. Advice to store managers or employees can help a lot as it could get rid of a major problem, which could help the store improve. The market area tries to make products sell as much as they can. The customer service area try to keep customers satisfied as much as they can. C1 Richer Sounds do not call their employees by ‘staff’ or ’employees’. i think they do this because they want everyone to feel equal as much as they can, and not treat them like slaves. Also, instead of saying ‘head office’ they say ‘central office’ because ‘head office’ makes it sound more important to the others. Even though ‘central office’ makes it sound more important aswell, it is better than saying ‘head office’. Richer Sounds also use the term ‘career key timer (CKT)’ instead of ‘part-time’ as ‘part-time’ could make the part-tme employees think that they are only partly involved in the business. Instead of approaching customers by saying ‘can I help you?’ the employees use a better way which is by offering the customers a free cup of coffee or ice lolly. This is a good way to appraoch a customer as the customer will be happy that they are receiving free refreshments and at the same time can get help if they need it. Some different types of communication are: * Writing a letter * Recording a message * Reports * E-mail * Fax * Phonecall * Posting information on the internet * Meetings * Surveys * Face to face * Oral/Written feedback An example of written communication The employees are given the directors’ home numbers. This is because if they have a complaint then they can talk directly so the problem gets sorted out quickly. This helps the employees have private conversations aswell, which is why this method would be used for any problems or complaints. This also shows that the employees are trusted with these numbers and that they wont misuse them or give them out to any unknown person. An example of oral communication Meetings gather people together so that they can talk face to face and elaborate on any issues. This is an effective way of communication as more than just one person is bieng communicated, which saves time. People can also debate and have problems sorted out quickly ad effectiveley. How ICT is used to communicate and operate ICT is used in a variety of ways. Some of them are: * Customer service. This includes staying in contact with the customer until they are satisfied, helping them with product issues such as insurance, product support e.t.c. * Posting information on the internet, which could be on their website for customers, or other sites for others to see * Sending e-mails to people. Sometimes, this would be easier than going to meet the person as they could be a long distance away, or they may need to know the information as soon as possible. * Sending and sharing files with others. This saves time as people know where all the shared files are, and people don’t need to bother others for information * Having a network for ease of access for employees inside the business * Advertising * Organising products, prices, quantities e.t.c. More than one department is needed to sort these things out, so it is important that they keep in regular contact with each other * Support (this includes people from inside the business and outside the business). This also ranges from different types of communication, but ICT can be used a lot. Employees could help others who are facing a problem with ICT, they can sort out problems within the business and also outside the business C2 The functional areas need to keep in contact with each other and so do the staff inside a functional area for the business to avoid any problems.Examples of how communications methods are used inside a functional area include: * Employees could phone each other for convienece if they are a fair distance away * Someone may need to show a report to the other employees to help with improving the functional area * Someone may need to send an e-mail to another employee for privacy, or for more convinience * A meeting could be held for more convienience as instead of explaining the same thing to each employee repeatedly, it can just be explained once to all the employees together. This will also allow the employees to show their opinions regarding what is being said * Talking face to face can be useful for people talking in private, or if people arent far away so it would be easier to talk to them This is effective enough to run the functional area but it can be improved. Examples of how communications methods are used between functional areas include: * A manager could write a letter to another manager of a functional area * Julian Richer records a message weekly which all the managers can hear * Someone may need to show a report to others to help with improving the functional areas * Someone may need to send an e-mail to another employee for privacy, or for more convinience * A Fax could also be sent for the same reason as an e-mail * Employees could phone each other for convienece if they are a fair distance away The business needs to keep in contact with its customers and the other businesses it is involved with. Communcications methods used outside the business include: * An employee could write a letter to a customer for customer service * An e-mail could also be sent to a customer or another business such as a supplier * Phonecalls could be made to customers and other businesses for customer service or to sort out transactions e.g. with suppliers * Posting information on the internet may be useful for anyone. However, this can be a bad thing as rival businesses can find out about Richer Sounds and improve their own business * Surveys can be given to customers so Richer Sounds know where to improve on thei customer service * Talking face to face can help with transactions and helping customers * Advertising shows customers attractive products and prices. But this can also help rival businesses to improve on their advertising to get more customers aswell C3 Improvements which could be made to communications inside functional areas may include: * Being connected to a network so that people can stay communicated with each other and share files more easily Improvements which could be made to communications between functional areas may include: * Being connected to a network so that people can stay communicated with each other and share files more easily * Having surveys between employees to help improve on functional areas * To have a chat area for Richer Sounds’ employees only, so that they can all stay conneced to each other and help each other with problems within the business Improvments which could be made to communications outside the business may include: * Feedback. If Richer Sounds do this then they will know how to improve on their services * Having a chat area in which Richer Sounds’ customers and employees can have general conversations. This could be done by allowing people to register onto the Richer Sounds site and having an available chat area D1 Cameron Balloons External Influences Business Competitors Cameron balloons have worldwide competitors. This is because they are a large company, exports goods to customers abroad and they also have a partner in the United States, which is called Cameron Balloons US. Here is a list of some of the competitors of Cameron balloons Europe – UK Lindstrand Rest Of Europe – Excluding UK Ballonbau Worner Balony Kubicek Ultramagic Balloons US Aerostar Avian Balloon Corporation Firefly Balloons Head Balloons Australasia Kavanagh Balloons Germany Schroder As I have shown above, Cameron balloons has about nine competitors. However, Cameron balloons is a very successful company so it is hard for some companies to compete with Cameron balloons. This can narrow the list of competitors down for Cameron balloons. So Cameron balloons’ main competitors are: * Lindstrand * Ultramagic Balloons * Aerostar * Schroder Economic Conditions * Changes in interest rates * Changes in exchange rates * Inflation * The amount of unemployment * Changes in government tax Environmental Constraints * Noise Pollution * Air Pollution * Waste Pollution * Global Warming Richer Sounds External Influences Business Competitors Richer sounds have many competitors. This is because they have a large amount of products with different manufacturers. They sell products from approximately 140 different manufacturers and also sell approximately 50 different types of products. This means that their list of competitors would be very big. Although richer sounds have many competitors, they still have an advantage over some of their competitors. This is because richer sounds are specialists in certain equipment. Economic Conditions * Changes in interest rates * Changes in exchange rates * Inflation * The amount of unemployment * Changes in government tax Environmental Constraints * Noise Pollution * Waste Pollution * Global Warming * Waste Electricity D2 + D3 Impact Of Changes In External Influences To Cameron Balloons And What Is Done About It Business Competitors Cameron balloons is a very successful company and is about twice as big as its main competitor. It has also diversified into making medical products. So there isn’t much to worry about unless the competitor starts to rapidly gain more profits and expand. Economic Conditions * If interest rates go higher, and if Cameron balloons make a loan, then they will have to pay more back to the financiers. This would put them in a big dilemma if they stopped making profits. So if interest rates go lower, then that would be the best time to make a loan * If exchange rates change, then this can affect Cameron balloons depending on whether the pound is stronger or cheaper. For example, if the pound is stronger than the dollar, then the prices of imports from America will be cheaper and the prices of exports will be more expensive to American customers. But if the pound is weaker than the dollar, then imports from America will be more expensive, and exports will be cheaper to American customers. So Cameron balloons will benefit more if the pound is stronger. This is because they order materials in the UK, so there is no need for imports, but if they did import, then it would be cheap, and also, when they export, they would get more money from their customers * Inflation will mean that Cameron balloons will have to pay more for materials and will have to sell their products at more expensive prices if they want to keep getting the same amount of profit * An increase in government tax would mean that Cameron balloons would have to pay more for materials and so they would have to sell their products at more expensive prices if they want to keep getting the same amount of profit * If there is a large amount of unemployment, then Cameron balloons can let go of the employees that aren’t doing their job properly, and they could get better employees. They could also make new jobs to make space for more employees. If there is a low amount of unemployment, then Cameron balloons will have to hold onto their employees and will have to train them if necessary, which will mean that it will cost time and money Environmental Constraints * Cameron balloons don’t have to worry much about the amount of noise pollution as they have a large site and the equipment they use isn’t very noisy * Air Pollution isn’t a major factor for manufacturing the balloons but Cameron balloons have to make sure that their balloons work properly and don’t cause too much air pollution when in use * Cameron balloons have come across a solution to lower the amount of waste pollution. Using their balloon fabric, they produce medical products. They could use their scrap or leftover fabric for this so they have less waste and, at the same time, more profit * Because Cameron balloons are manufacturers, they have to make sure that they don’t contribute too much to global warming Impact Of Changes In External Influences To Richer Sounds And What Is Done About It Business Competitors If one of richer sounds’ competitors cuts prices on their products then richer sounds will cut their price as they monitor competitor’s prices. They also offer a price reduction on any product if a customer finds the same product cheaper at a different store. I think it may be hard for richer sounds to do this as they will have to constantly find cheaper suppliers otherwise they may end up with losses that could end up in bankruptcy. Economic Conditions * If interest rates go higher, and if richer sounds make a loan, then they will have to pay more back to the financiers. This would put them in a big dilemma if they stopped making profits. So if interest rates go lower, then that would be the best time to make a loan * Exchange rates don’t affect richer sounds as they are only a national company * Inflation will mean that richer sounds will have to pay more for supplies and will have to sell their products at more expensive prices if they want to keep getting the same amount profit * An increase in government tax would mean that richer sounds would have to pay more for supplies and so they would have to sell their products at more expensive prices if they want to keep getting the same amount of profit * If there is a large amount of unemployment, then richer sounds can let go of the employees that aren’t doing their job properly, and they could get better employees. They could also make new jobs to make space for more employees. If there is a low amount of unemployment, then richer sounds will have to hold onto their employees and will have to train them if necessary, which will mean that it will cost time and money Environmental Constraints * Richer sounds don’t allow any sound systems to be played in the store as someone could be affected and may complain or leave the store. This doesn’t just include customers, as employees could be affected as well. People with hearing disabilities could also be affected. That is why if a customer wants to listen to a sound system, they have to go to a demonstration room, which is sound proof, to listen to it. Richer sounds help to protect peoples hearing by having warnings in their stores and also by selling ear-plugs. * Richer sounds also try to keep waste pollution low. They accept old sound systems as part exchanges for their products. This helps keeping customers’ waste low as well as putting the systems to good use. Cardboard and wood which aren’t needed are recycled * Lights, heating and all equipment are turned off at the end of the day so richer sounds don’t contribute much towards global warming * Electric forklift trucks are used at the warehouse to prevent air pollution